Boston Public Radio

Todd says some Republicans are starting to re-establish themselves as deficit hawks.

The legislature signaled approval for a Gov. Baker-backed proposal that makes it easier for municipalities to zone for multifamily housing, but Connolly says the bill lacks measures to protect vulnerable populations.

Slaughterhouses won't release the number of employees who are infected by COVID-19, Kummer says.

The president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy spoke about the history of America's first “green” infrastructure project.

The former business executive, presidential candidate and co-chair of Black Voices For Trump died this week of COVID-19 complications.

People need to go beyond reading books about anti-racism, the BU professor says.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kicked things off by opening lines, to talk with listeners about the surging coronavirus cases in Mass., and whether the state ought to be imposing stricter lockdown measures to quell the spread of COVID-19. NBC Sports Boston reporter and anchor Trenni Kusnierek discussed new charges in the prostitution cases involving Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who himself will not face charges. She also weighed in on the $1 million PPP loan for former Patriot Tom Brady, and Sport Illustrated's list of five athlete activists it named “Sportspersons of the Year." Jamahrl Crawford talked about his impressions of the Mass. police reform bill, the political limits of the “defund the police” slogan, and the value in hiring police officers from within the communities they'd be serving. Crawford is a Boston based Boston community activist, and the publisher of the Blackstonian. He also served on the Boston Police Reform Task. Food writer Corby Kummer talked about Singapore becoming the first nation to approve lab grown meat for human consumption, and growing displeasure in the U.S. with foods that’re described as “moist." He also spoke about the pandemic’s impact on the already-miserable food served in prisons, and other food headlines. Next, we opened lines to talk with listeners about lab-grown meat, and whether you'd be open to making the switch from the real thing. CNN’s John King returned for his weekly breakdown of national political stories, including infighting in Washington over further pandemic relief, and conversation around whether or not to pursue potential legal charges against President Trump and his allies once President-elect Biden is in office.

Singapore has become the first nation on the planet to approve cell-cultured meat for human consumption. Food writer Corby Kummer spoke to Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about San Francisco start-up Eat Just Inc., which got regulatory approval to cell it’s lab-grown chicken in Singapore. “We talk all the time about Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger, but this is different,” Kummer said. “Its cells are from animals, that are then cultured in quantity enough to, in this case, make a chicken cutlet.” What’s good about this is that only one animal is needed to give cells which will then be cultured to produce boundless chicken meat, Kummer said. “Only one chicken has to die to provide vibrant cultures, which the company then builds out onto various forms,” he said. “Cell-cultured meat has had billions of dollars invested in it over the past years, and it will be coming here [to the United States.]” Kummer is a senior editor at The Atlantic, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a pediatrician and psychiatrist at MGH, talked about the mental and physical strain that remote learning has taken on the thousands of Mass. kids stuck at home through the pandemic, and offered her assessment of the state's pandemic response with respect to public education. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about Dr. Pinksy's comments about schooling in Mass., and ask: did we get it wrong? Charlie Sennott, GBH News analyst and GroundTruth Project CEO, talked about the potential problems with the U.K.’s fast-tracked approval of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine. He also reflected on President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for secretary of state and director of national intelligence director, and weighed in on the future of “Trumpism” after President Trump leaves office. TV expert Bob Thompson discussed news that Warner Brothers plans to release all of their 2021 films online at the same time they’ll be in theaters. He also reviewed Netflix’s “Mank,” Showtime’s “Your Honor,” and HBO's new documentary about The Bee Gees, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." Irene Monroe and Emmett Price, hosts of GBH’s All Rev’d Up podcast, discussed last week’s Supreme Court ruling on COVID restrictions and religious liberty, reflecting on the impact of the court’s decision to side with religious organizations. Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung explained the growing tension between Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker and local leaders and public health officials around the spike in Mass. residents who’re testing positive for COVID-19. Anthony Rudel, general manager for music at GBH, talked about GBH’s upcoming collaboration with performance arts organization The Handel & Haydn Society, for their annual holiday production of “Messiah.”

Today on Boston Public Radio: We kicked off Friday's show by turning to listeners to talk about all things coronavirus, from the incoming vaccines to your thoughts on the winter ahead. Media magnate Sue O’Connell offered her prediction about the public reputation of the Trump family, post-presidency. She also weighed in on recent comments from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that’ve drawn condemnation from LGBT advocates, and gave a quick review of the Hulu holiday rom-com about two lesbians, called “The Happiest Season." Boston Mayor Marty Walsh called in for our monthly “Ask the Mayor” series. He discussed the city's ongoing efforts to mitigating the spread of coronavirus, his views on the latest police reform bill, and what he thought of the recently-released four hour documentary about his administration, titled “City Hall.” CNN analyst Juliette Kayyem talked about the latest news on distributing a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. She also touched on the current COVID surge, overcrowding in hospitals, and why she’s started calling social-distancing “smart-distancing." GBH’s A Celtic Sojourn host Brian O’Donovan detailed this year’s virtual Celtic Christmas Sojourn, with performances from musicians around the world. He also discussed the enormous amount of work that went into putting together the event safely, leading him to call it the “NBA of Christmas shows.” We closed out Friday’s show by returning to listeners about “revenge travel,” and asking: Now that there's the promise of a vaccine, is it safe to start thinking about travel?

National security expert Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio Friday, where she offered a comprehensive rundown of everything going on with respect to the now multiple coronavirus vaccines. Despite the increasingly grim number of infections heading into winter, she said that she’s staying emotionally buoyed by the prospect of a vaccine in the coming months. “It’s always easier to go through the storm when you can see the light,” she said. "In the last week alone, the amount of progress we’ve gotten to in terms of vaccine and vaccine distribution is tremendous.” She added, “it’s that split screen where we’re in the darkness but we can see the light, and I think it’s gonna be like that for a while.” Juliette Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.